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Does Kefir Keep Colds At Bay

Does Kefir Keep Colds At Bay

Yesterday I asked if regular readers would like to be a star feature on this blog, in the hope that – if you’re a new reader, or are struggling with kick-starting a healthier way of eating – it will help to encourage you to take your first steps with fermented food .. or even some of the non-fermented recipes I share here with you.

We all have to start somewhere and this is a community of lovely people, many of whom have been where you may be right now!

I know it’s not easy to make food changes. Simply seeing so much information in once place can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Please know that I’m here to help.

If you need to drop me a line and ask a question, please do feel very welcome.

If you just make ONE positive change and try ONE recipe this month, that’s a great move forward!

Today, JoyAnne shares how she hopped on board and how kefir milk has made an impact on her health.

Hi. My name is Joyanne Grayson, I live in the UK and am 52 years old.

I first “met” Sarah in a facebook group for ladies who want to embrace their silver hair. She is such an inspiration!

I saw a link to her blog and have become a fermented food disciple.

My earliest trials of producing kefir were not that successful, but I have persevered and now produce my own goat’s milk kefir, which I happily pour on my porridge and blueberries every morning. I also love making Sarah’s chickpea flatbreads with caramelised red onions, gorgeous eaten with homemade vegetable soup.

Since I have been eating kefir each day I have been almost cold free. I had a slight sniffle a couple of weeks ago but it only lasted 2 days. I love reading Sarah’s blog posts and hope to start making more of her recipes.

Thanks so much for sharing JoyAnn. (And thanks for your kind words!) It’s great to hear that kefir has been a success for you.

Key to your success was persevering when your first attempts didn’t go well. It can be confusing working out whether or not your kefir milk is ready to drink if you’ve never tasted it before. I was in that position when I first started, so I just waited until the taste became sour.

Never worry if your milk separates – it’s possible to recover it! – and remember that powder starters are best for non-dairy milk, whilst kefir grains are best for dairy milk.

It’s possible to use grains for ALL milk; you just need to keep in mind that they eat milk sugars for their own survival, so if you use them in non-dairy milk they’ll need refreshing in dairy milk every few days. For this reason, and because many people who make non-dairy milk have intolerances or allergies, it tends to be easier to use powders for soy, coconut, rice and nut milk.

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that, for me, Kefir is the King of ferments. It’s different for everyone, but kefir’s my favourite baby!

However, if I feel a little sniffle coming on, I make sure to drink a small glass of sauerkraut water and, to date, find it nips it in the bud within an afternoon. This may be worth trying yourself? We all find ways that work for us. This is one I discovered by accident. 🙂

Be aware that if you have any medical conditions, it’s always worth consulting with your own medical practitioner before trying new food/drink.

Where Can I Buy Kefir Grains?

Here are the European links again. If you live elsewhere, I suggest you search local suppliers. Be sure to check the ingredient list to ensure there is no dairy or sugar added to kefir powders.

I’ve spoken with the owners of both companies I’ve linked to below. I trust and approve both their products. They both also offer helpful customer service, should you need their advice after purchase.

Instructions will arrive with your product.

Remember that, when buying kefir grains, you’ll be sent just a teaspoon of grains and will start with a small quantity of milk. As you make regular batches, the number of grains will increase and, along with that, you can increase the volume of milk you make.

For powders, try this company. The powder is dairy free, contains some of the best probiotic strains and tastes great in kefir:

It sounds more complex than it is Nicole. You can make milk kefir from scratch in less than 5 minutes. It’s just that people worry about which powders/grains to use and when the milk may be ready, how to look after it. When I answer those questions, it takes away the fear. 🙂

Hello, Sarah! I am a friend of Joyann’s, and I just had to stop in and read her praise of kefir. My husband and I haven’t had kefir in probably a year or more, but I definitely miss it. We used raw milk for our kefir, and in order to get raw milk, we must have a share in a cow herd. This is common in the States; some states sadly don’t allow access to raw milk at all! Anyway, we are thinking of starting this again, but we’re not sure. Another thing that helps me when I feel a cold coming on is to mince a small clove of raw garlic, place it on a spoon, and cover it with raw honey. Then I take this concoction and wash it down with water (warm water is nicer). Be sure to have food in your stomach if you do this–no raw garlic on an empty stomach! Another helpful concoction is a small spoon of raw honey mixed with a lot of cinnamon (I use Ceylon cinnamon). I don’t know why it helps, but it does! Oh, and echinacea tea… 🙂 Thank you for your helpful blog! ~Debbie

Hi Debbie, thanks for making contact. I’ve never used raw milk to make kefir. Some prefer it, others worry about potentially worrying bacteria that can be present in unpasteurised products. I would imagine that, given the general problems with purchasing raw milk in many regions of the world, the majority of people making kefir most likely use organic, pasteurised milk. It serves the body well and I would hope you could benefit from this version of kefir.

As you know, the grains will last a life-time once you buy and use them regularly. If you don’t fancy pasteurised milk you could make the move to non-dairy milk such as coconut, almond, cashew (my 3 staples) rice (I would check where the rice was made) or soy (I don’t use soy, but if it’s a food that’s ok for you and you know the supplier is good, soy kefir has been proven to have various benefits.)

I’m a believer in taking fermented food and drink to prevent colds starting, rather than using the traditional garlic/honey route these days, but what works for each person is a personal thing. I don’t use added sugar any longer and although I do have some recipes to share that I created over a year ago with honey/rice syrup, I’ve moved away from that method of food preparation for now, so after I’ve shared them, new recipes will be sweetened with wholefoods for the forseeable future.

I have a YouTube channel with kefir tutorials (The Fermented Foody) and there’s lots of information under KEFIR in the category section.

Delighted to be of help. Please do ask me if you have any other questions. Happy to advice whenever you need. Let’s get you back into this!